Stretcher.



J. L. BOARDMAN.

STRETCHER.

APPLICATION man DEC-7. 1911.

1,270, 107. A Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

IN VE N 70/? John [.Boardn /1 BY W ,4 HORNE V8 UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JOHN LA'ISON BOABDMAN, OF BUTTE, MONT-LITA.

BTBETCHEB.

Specification of Letters l'atent.

Patented J une 18, 1918.

Application filed December 7, 1917. Serial No. 206,047.

To'all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jorm L. BOARDMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Butte in the county of Silverbow and State of Montana, have invented a new and Improved Stretcher, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

y invention relates to a stretcher for transporting injured or disabled persons and expensive and adapted to be assembled into compact form when not in actual use.

A further important object is to provide a stretcher of the indicated character embodying means to eifectively strap the injured person in position and support him with the minimum discomfort as well as to provide a frame having protecting elements to guard the person on the stretcher against injury by contact with adjacent walls or objects.

A further object is to provide a stretcher of such a character that the injured person may be handled with the maximum ease and comfort and be slid or dragged on the stretcher up or down shafts. Stairways, ladders, and steep embankments and may be suspended in midair by a derrick, for example, and all without the slightest danger of injury.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views, it being understood that the drawings aremerely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a stretcher constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the manner in which an injured person is stra ped thereon;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stretcher with parts broken away and showing the straps In the open position;

fig. 3 is a side elevation with parts broken on V Fig. 4 is a plan view of the framework of the stretcher showing the same in partially collapsed form F g. 5 is an end view of-the stretcher; Fig. 6 is a detail in transverse section on an enlarged scale to be hereinafter referred 2, th; section being taken on the line 6-6,

n carrying out my invention in accordance with the illustrated example, a central -longitudinal frame member 10 is provided wh1ch may be in the form of a tube or bar of suitable crom section and longitudinal side bars 11 elevated above the bar 10. The central bar 10 has upwardly extending ends 12 and at the ends of the frame cross bars 13 are employed, secured at their outer ends to the side bars 11 and at the center to the terminals of the ends 12 of the central rod 10. The end bars 13 are articulated, being in two sections and pivotally connected to the terminals of the ends 12 as at 18. The

end bars 13 have a slot and pin connection with the side bars 11 for which purpose there are shown slots 14 in the bars 13 through which studs 15 extend from elbows 16 on the bars 11, nuts 17 on the said studs completing the connection. The central bar 10 constitutes a runner on which the frame may be drawn.

Connecting the depressed runner bar 10 with the side bars 11 are a series of transverse bars or ribs 19 articulated at the center and pivoted as at 20 to the said bar 10', the said ribs curving from the connection 20 outwardly and upwardly to a pivotal connection as at 21 with the side bars 11. By the described construction it will be seen that the frame may be expanded as in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5 or collapsed into compact form as in Fig. 4, whereby to be conveniently earned or to occupy the minimum space.

A canvas 23 covers the frame and is suitably secured at its side edges to the side bars 11, the end portions 22 or head and foot of the canvas extendin upwardly to a connection with the cross bars 13. Slots or openings 24 are formed in the canvas along the sides to aiford handholds for carrying the stretcher.

To securely strap the injured person as indicated in Fig. 1 to the stretcher, there are rovided near the bottom of the stretc er, leg straps 25 on said canvas and suitably secured thereto as by a line of 5 stitching said straps being adapted to embrace the legs of the person below the knees. Similar straps 26 are provided on the stretcher and suitably secured to thecanvas for strapping the legs separately above the knees. Straps 27 are adapted to embrace the legs obliquely below the groin while a strap 28 is adapted to embrace the body at the groin. A breast strap 29 is rovided and adjacent to the same shou der straps 30 to ass beneath the arm pits and acros the rig t and left shoulders. The respective straps are provided with suitable buckles or equivalent fastening means. The letter A, Fig. 1, indicates the trousers belt.

an I provide means to restrain or stay the canvas at the depressed bottom, along approximately a central line, the illustrated means for the purpose being as follows: At

the inside of the stretcher, that is to say, the upper surface of the canvas or equivalent flexible material, a longitudinal strip 31 is provided and below the canvas a longitudinal rod or bar 32 extends and is suitably secured at its ends to the central run- 39 ner bar 10 as at 33. The strip 31 is stayed by suitable supports engaging the rod 32, there being shown in the present example, keepers 34 as best seen in Fig. 6 which restrain said strip 31 while permitting a limit- 35; ed play relative to the rod 32 so that there may be a slight yielding or longitudinal motion of the stri 31 and the bottom of the canvas relative y to the rod 32. Vertical stays or standards 35 are provided extending upwardly from the central bar 10 embracing the rod 32. To suspend the stretcher at the head thereof from a derrick or the like in hoisting or lowering the injured person, the hoist rope may be hooked an or otherwise made fast to the end 12 of the runner at the head of the stretcher.

With the described arrangement the runner bar 10, side bar 11, end bars 13 and ribs 19 all coact to protect the person on the an stretcher from contact with adjacent objects when the stretcher is hauled along the ground or moved over inclined surfaces, as well as When being raised or lowered while suspended. At the same time the manner as of strapping the injured person to the canvas and the means for suspending and staying the canvas insure the maximum comfort to the injured person while main taining him in position on the stretcher without liability of his slipping, falling, or

being moved in such a way as to cause further injury or suffering.

The improved results arise largely from the staying of the canvas along the depressed central line in addition to the secured side edges, whereby the supporting surfaces presented by the canvas at each side of the depressed central line sustain the strapped occupant above the staying elements, and this while utilizing the staying elements to prevent discomfort-ing swaying of the canvas.

I would state in conclusion that While the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention; I do not limlt myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestl the same can be considerably varied wlthout departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the ap ended claims.

Having thus escribed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A stretcher including a frame presenting longitudinal side elements, a rigid, depressed, longitudinal central frame member, flexible supporting material secured alon its side edges to said side elements, an means connecting said material along the median line thereof with said depressed member of the frame to stay the supporting material along the depressed central line thereof, elevated above the said depressed frame member, said stay means prmitting limited lateral sway of the said material along said elevated median line, relatively to the said depressed frame member.

2. In a, stretcher, a frame presentin longitudinal side bars, a depressed centra longitudinal runner bar, transverse members pivotally connecting said side bars and runner bar, flexible supporting material connected along its side edges wlth the side bars, and means to stay the said flexible material along a longitudinal central line above the runner bar.

3. A stretcher including a depressed frame, flexible supporting material secured at its side edges to the frame, and means coacting with the depressed portion of the frame for restraining the flexible material approximately at the median line thereof, said means including members secured to the supporting material, upwardly extending members secured to said de ressed frame portion and longitudinally isposed pivot means connecting said members on the supporting material with the upwardly extendlng members on the material.

4. i In a stretcher, a frame and flexible sup orting material thereon, said frame including longitudinal side bars, a depressed longitudinal runner bar presenting upwardly extending ends, articulated end bars connected at their articulation with the runner bar and pivotally connected at their outer ends with the side bars, and articulated transverse ribs pivotally connected at their articulation with the runner bar and pivotally connected with the side bars.

5. In a stretcher, a frame and flexible supporting material thereon, said frame including longitudinal side bars to which the flexible material is secured along its side edges, a depressed runner bar, means connecting the runner bar and side bars, a lon itudinal stri on the flexible material at t e upper sur ace above the runner bar, and means acting to tie said strip to the runner bar.

6. In a stretcher, a frame and flexible supporting material thereon, said frame including longitudinal side bars to which the flexible material is secured along its side edges, a depressed runner bar, means connecting the runner bar and side bars, a lon itudinal stri upon the flexible material at t e upper sur ace above the runner bar, a longitudinal rod rigid with the runner bar and disposed between said runner bar and said strip beneath the flexible material, and means connecting said strip and rod.

7. In a stretcher, a frame presenting a rigid, depressed longitudinal member, de-

ressed flexible supporting material in the rame, means connecting said material alon the median line thereof with said depresse frame member and permittin lateral sway of the material along its me ian line relatively to said rigid member, and strap elements to strap an injured person on the stretcher, said strap elements being secured to said supporting material at opposite sides of the depressed portion thereof independently of the frame members.

JOHN LATSON BOARDMAN. 

